Mighty Microgreens

How to grow — and get your kids to eat — these nutrient-packed foods

- Layla Khoury-hanold

Want to get your kids to eat their veggies? Grow microgreens.

Not to be confused with sprouts, microgreens are the first true leaves of a vegetable or an herb — and just about any vegetable or herb can be grown as a microgreen.

Microgreens have long been prized by chefs for their aesthetic and concentrated flavor profiles, like nutty-sweet sunflower shoots or earthy beet greens. But there’s more to microgreens than looking and tasting good. These tiny but mighty greens are destined for super food status, and they’re easier to grow at home than you may think.

What Makes Microgreens So Mighty?

A study conducted by the University of Maryland’s Department of Nutrition and Food Science, and published in the July 18, 2012 edition of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, concluded that microgreens pack 4 to 40 times more nutrients than their fully grown counterparts. These nutrients for growing children include building blocks like protein, which promotes muscle growth and development; essential vitamins C, E and K; and beta-carotene and lutein, which are vital for eye health. Of the 25 microgreens studied by the University of Maryland’s Department of Nutrition and Food Science, red cabbage, daikon radish, cilantro and red garnet amaranth contain the highest concentrations of four different vitamins and carotenoids.